This weather has us in such a good mood that we’re giving you a bonus photo today. Both photos are excellent examples of how to use backlighting and patterns to create interesting images, especially when said images are either shot in monochrome or converted during post processing. These patterns and interesting shadows are everywhere. You just have to take the time to look for them. And while early morning and late afternoon sun can create wonderful long shadows, which appears to be what Victoria got from the skylight at the National Building Museum, you can still use the midday sun to create a silhouette as Chris did in his image from the Hirshhorn.

Speaking of patterns, that’s the theme of this year’s 500px Global Photo Walk, which I’ll be leading in DC on Sept. 6. If you’ve got a camera and a passion for photography, you should join us. You don’t need a fancy camera, either. (Chris took his photo with an iPhone) Sign up on the Facebook event page.